Cable giants' spectrum deal close to approval

U.S. regulators are reportedly preparing to approve Verizon Wireless' proposed $3.9 billion deal to acquire spectrum from several cable companies, including Comcast Corp., under several conditions.

Verizon and the cable consortium - which includes Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Communications - have supposedly agreed to terms put forth by the Department of Justice that will limit the joint marketing agreement to five years and will prevent Verizon and cable operators from reselling each other's services in markets where their broadband, television, and phone services compete. The approval of the deal is expected in several weeks, according to a person, familiar with the matter.

Some people consider that these agreements could effectively abolish competition between the companies. To address such concerns, Comcast and Verizon also agreed that the latter's stores won't sell Comcast's Xfinity online video service in regions where Verizon already offers its FiOS TV service.